Serve by Design

I have been serving as a law enforcement chaplain for twelve years as well as a workplace chaplain for over eighteen years. This has afforded me many opportunities for conversations and counsel that would not have been possible in any other way. Trust is a delicate thing between employees and chaplains that develops over time. It must be earned and there are no shortcuts in the process of deepening the confidence one person has in another. The more you relate and do life together, the more others see that you can be counted on to guard the secrets, concerns, and issues that many deal with on a day-to-day basis. The Strength of Teamwork! Image credit: unsplash.com One of the phrases I often hear among my fellow chaplains at our team training meetings is that “It’s such a privilege to be invited into workplace settings to serve as a chaplain resource to employees!” Where else, except the church, are religiously trained leaders invited to pray, affirm, and encourage workers while they are

Recently, I read about a Peacock problem in Omaha, Nebraska. This caught my attention because we have a couple of close friends who live up there. The news was surprising to me since we made two trips there last year and didn’t see a single Peacock! It seems that this problem has been growing over the last few years and no one knows what to do about it. Aside from being annoyed by the birds’ presence and excrement on personal property, they can also show aggressive behavior that includes incessant screeching throughout the day! Image Credit: Melanie Hughes, unsplash.com Several calls have been made by residents to the Nebraska Humane Society, but they claim to not have the personnel or resources to address what many consider to be an unchecked bird population. The local Humane Society suggests that unless they harm someone or damage property, “Just let them be!” Many years ago, I had my own issues with Peacocks. At that time, I was considering where to attend seminary. I was certain

It’s baseball season for our three Hartman grandsons! We moved beyond practices this week to actual games. It has been fun for Mimi and Poppi to throw the lawn chairs into the car and head out to the ballparks in Athens and Williamsville to watch them. Danny, our fifth grader, has been playing for three years now and is the most experienced. He made us proud during his game by making two great catches defensively and laying down a ground ball on the third-base line for a single and an RBI. Charlie, third grade, has only played one official game and that was last season just before his family went to New Mexico for vacation. He is showing great promise during practices this season and is very eager to build upon last summer’s brief experience. He did a nice job of hitting a strong single during the game this week that resulted in a much-needed RBI for his team. "Awww! I don't got it!!" The youngest brother in the trio is Dawson Michael who is just wrapping up his kinderg